Mr Ali Al Dailami

On 16 April 2012, Yemeni Human Rights Defender Mr Ali Al Dailami was stopped, threatened and harassed for four hours by national security officers at Sanaa airport on his arrival from Cairo where he had attended a human rights conference.

Ali Al Dailami, a prominent human rights defender, is the General Co-ordinator of the Yemeni Organisation for the Defence of Rights and Democratic Freedoms.

On his arrival at Sanaa airport Ali Al Dailami was held by members of the national security and subjected to interrogation in a provocative manner during which it was alleged that his name was included on a list of those wanted by the Yemeni police since 2006. He was held for up to four hours at the airport harassed and threatened with punishment which the security officers did not specify. His passport was confiscated, but when he showed the security officer a card indicating his human rights work, he was given his passport back. Shortly afterwards, however Ali Al Dailami's passport was again confiscated and he was accused of leaving Yemen illegally, despite having an exit visa stamped on his passport when he passed through the same airport on 11 April 2012 on his way to Cairo.

Ali Al Dailami, who is now effectively prevented from travelling, denounced the manner in which he was treated by the national security and the presence of his name on a list of those wanted by the police. He protested at the provocative and unlawful way he has been treated each time he enters and leaves Sanaa airport. At the time of this incident, Ali Al Dailami was returning form Cairo to which he had been invited by the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies to attend a consultative meeting on the human rights situation in the region held in the presence of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders and the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Assembly and Association.

Front Line Defenders believes that the harassment and seizure of Ali Al Dailami's passport are directly related to his peaceful and legitimate work as a human rights defender and are intended to prevent him from carrying out this work and from networking with other human rights defenders abroad.